The Radical Road to Independence
Did you know that it was radical thinkers in the 18th century that led to the American colonies’ independence from Great Britain?
Following the French and Indian War in 1763, Great Britain began taxing the thirteen original colonies as early as 1764 with the Stamp Act in order to recover some of the cost of that war, claiming it had to fight that war to protect its American subjects from the powerful French in Canada. Most of the colonists disagreed, believing that England fought the war to strengthen its empire and increase the country’s wealth. Colonists felt that since they were not represented in Parliament they should not be taxed. The colonists’ motto became “No taxation without representation.”
Due to civil disobedience to the Stamp Act, Great Britain repealed it in 1766. This was a victory for the colonists yet even at this time, most were not even imagining separating from their mother country. Yet, Great Britain didn’t stop there. Over the next several years, Parliament continued to impose imperial taxation and limits on self-government. Crime and violence within the colonies ensued. With the Townshend Duties of 1767, which taxed imports, customs racketeering led to the British occupation of Boston in 1768. Later came the Boston Massacre of 1770 and the Boston Tea Party of 1773.
So who were the radicals during this time? Many were members of the underground group, Sons of Liberty, who were printers/publishers and distributed articles about the meetings, demonstrations, and their fundamental political beliefs. Leaders were mostly middle class artisans, traders, lawyers and local politicians. Some men were not official members of the group yet opposed the British actions. Samuel Adams’ published articles in the Boston Gazette under a pen name. After all, such implications could lead to being tried and executed for treason.
After Britain enacted the Coercive Acts in 1774— as a punishment given to the colonists in Massachusetts because of the Tea Party—closing the Boston port, banning town meetings, and increased authority of the royal governor. Soon thereafter, 56 delegates of the 13 colonies met in Philadelphia as the First Continental Congress and made radical decisions that would lead to the American Revolution and America’s independence.
All those who held to their convictions and formed a basis for our country’s independence were radical thinkers. The Revolution changed social relationships, bringing respectability to ordinary people. It eliminated monarchy and created public power. It altered the culture of America and made the interest of ordinary people the goal of the government. It paved the road for other important changes such as the abolishment of slavery and the position of women, and opened the door to a transformed economy.
Gordon S. Wood, history professor and 1993 Pulitzer Prize winning author for The Radicalism of the American Revolution summed it up well when he said, “In short, the Revolution was the most radical and most far-reaching event in American history.”
